A Simple Man's Dream
by Stray Cat Blues
Summary: Avern Drake, just a simple young man from a backwards ranch located in the former state of Texas. The Earth-Jovian war wasn't even a concern...Untill it hits a little too close to home.: First Chapter Up.


Cappy : Alrighty folks, this is where I come back to writing, I know that its been awhile and that the Nadesico part of the anime part of isn't all that populated but I've since become a fan of the series and I started to kick the idea around in my head about a story, so I'll try and do my best to entertain somewhat. For those who've read my previous stuff...i'm sorry about not finishing those yet, Its just been college and stuff. Anyway, here goes nothing.

**A Martian Successor Nadesico fan fiction**

**By**

**Micah "Cappy" Morse**

**A Simple Man's Dream**

**It is a time of war...**

**The UEF (United Earth Forces) have been fighting with the Jovian Empire for over a standard earth year now. An attempt by the earth's most powerful battleship the ND001 or Nadesico to rescue the trapped survivors on the Mar's colony has failed, as have the UEAF's attempts to secure the Lunar Colony's from the grasp of the vile Jovians, The Moon yet remains a constant battle ground for the two forces. The military has been unable to deal with the occasional Jovian Chulip from breaking past the "Big Barrier", The earths forces are often quick to responded in defense for its homeland but there are still occasions where the damage can be irreparable.**

**A single young college graduate in the province of the former USA, who's only dreams were to hold a decent job and make his family proud and perhaps, one day, in the future start a family of his own. These simple dreams were soon to be shattered by the times of war that had long since been upon him...**

**This is his story of loss and love and the trials that war place on just a simple man...**

**Not a Hero**

**Not a Saint**

**Not a man gifted in the arts of war**

**Not a single, simple thing special about him**

**Just a Simple Kind of Man...**

Chapter One: Life Seems To Fade Away...

Avern Reese Drake was bored.

Simple fact of the day, it didn't take a graduate in basic nanotechnology to understand that the bus trip back to the lesser known parts of the former state of Texas would be a long and boring one. His only saving grace was the food that his grandmother would prepare from the old family recipes on a real grill in celebration of his recent triumph, all that good food would make it all worth it. Avern was desperately looking forward to seeing his family after nearly a year, he had been so busy with school he hadn't been able to return home for the latest break, all his time spent studying and working just to survive. Now that he had graduated, he would return, full honors and full of pride and knowledge in his abilities, his family would be so proud of him. He smiled at the thought of his grandparents faces when they saw him again, his cousins and his brother and aunts would all gather around and cheer him for all his hard work and offer him advice in his trials to come. And his little niece would be so happy and cheerful as she played with her favorite uncle once again.

Avern Drake was to put it quite simply, content with his life and his future. Sure the Jovian invaders and the UEF were deep in a war, but out in the country of his birth, surrounded by the trees and wildlife, he felt as though the war and carnage was far far away from him. His future was bright and soon the war would end and peace would come once again. As Drake stepped off the bus and began to walk the long path to his home his thoughts constantly turned to his future and his family. Soon, maybe one day he would find a woman whom he loved with all his heart and together they would start another generation of his family. He only hoped his grandmother and grandfather would be there to hold their new great grandchildren.

Avern smiled as the sun of his childhood shone once more upon his face and made everything seem as though it was all worth it, yes everything was going to...

The sounds of UEAF battleships departing the general area alerted the young man to his true surroundings, the sonic booms and other nosies that the battleships would make when in high speed pursuit shook him from his daydreaming. He had only heard the sounds once, when traveling to his provinces capital to see the research lab they had set up there for nanotech. He had seen the aftermath of the battle, the clean up crews and the bodies. The flames and stench of ozone that the huge batteries on the UEF battleships left behind.

Suddenly Avern's world came crashing around him as the memories of the battlefield he had seen months ago and memories of his home intermingled and mixed together, the ships had been leaving the general area in which his family had lived. Images from his past threatened to overwhelm him as he began to run faster and faster towards the small ranch where his grandparents had raised him after his parents had died in an accident when he was but seven.

_"Hahaha look at me granddad!" The young boy shouted, his warm brown hair bounced with him as his green eyes shimmered with excitement. The young pony the boy rode slowly jogged around and around in the small pen the boy of eight had begged his grandfather to set up so he could ride the ponies. "You'll be a natural cowhand when you grow up kid, believe you me" The shadowy figure of the young boys grandfather called out as the young boy continued to ride around as though he was the king of the world..._

Avern shook his head to try and clear his mind of the memory that threatened to surface, the fear and dread began to grow and grow with each step he took down the path to his home...

_"Avern Reese Drake how many times must i tell you to stay out of the attic!" A caring and worried older womans voice called out into the hatch that led to the old attic of the house. "But Granie..." the now nine year old Avern called back but was quickly cut off by his grandmother, "Dinner is ready and your grandfather is already eating your portion!" A quick cry of dismay followed by the sounds of a clumsy young boy falling down the stairs from the attic..._

Avern winced at the memory, he still had a scar somewhere from that fall yet he recalled how gently his grandmother and grandfather had brought the bawling young boy to the closest hospital and had stayed with him the entire night they had kept him there for observation. The memories flashed forward and became blurry, faces of his family at his birthday, at his graduation from high school, at all the family dinners they had. All of those stopped dead as Avern tripped and fell into a small crater that had never been there before.

The tears sprang free and flowed as fast as the river that he had spent his summers learning how to fish with his brother on, not from the pain of the trip or the heat the crater still seemed to radiate but from realization. He could hear the fires crackle and burn the land around them, he could smell the ozone of the lasers that had been used, the burning and twisted metal and groaning of structures that were quickly falling apart in the aftermath of the terrible skirmish. Avern slowly and painfully got to his feet and forced himself to take in the surrounding carnage that had once been his only home.

The small green and happy ranch that he had so longed to return to lay in ruins, craters of all sizes marked the surrounding land as though a giant had smashed his way past on a rampage. The barn and green pastures that had supported the animals he had helped raise were burning as though the flames of hell had sprung in their place. The small and modest house he had grown up in lay in complete ruins, the flames slowly dieing down from lack of objects to burn.

But the worst soon sprang into his view...

Sprawled out amongst all the devestation were corpses, the dead bodies of those who had lived and loved this tiny corner of the world that they had called their home. Drake fell to his knees, not even noticing that he had slowly climbed out of the crater and walked towards were all the bodies lay. The tears had stopped flowing, but the look of life and intelligence that had once resided in his deep green eyes had faded. Avern felt as dead as the people he once called his only family now were, as though all the life had been drained out of him just by overlooking the destruction.

As though in a dream, Drake's senses slowed and nothing seemed to make sense, his mind began to swirl and spiral out of control as though a madman had cut all the strings that tied him to reality. His grandmother, a kind and gentle woman who had shown nothing but love and encouragement to the young student lay dead before him, almost unrecognizable. His grandfather, lay close to his grandmother, his arms outstretched as though in his last moments he had been trying to reach his wife. It was to make his grandfather proud of him that he had left to go to the university, that he had strove so hard for his diploma and make his mark in this new world.

And they were both gone.

His two aunts, their bodies lay near each other, as though they had sought comfort as sisters before the end...

His home was gone

His pregnant cousin, her body burned almost beyond identification, lay in the arms of her babies father, no marks but a small hole in his forehead told Avern of his end...

All three lives and futures gone

His brother and his sister in law, he couldn't find their bodies at all, but some bits and pieces of what looked human lay scattered near the front door of his old home...

His bright future was gone.

Avern was suddenly shocked back into the world, his niece, his precious baby niece had to be somewhere, he had to find her, he had...

Avern dropped to his hands and knees as he caught sight of a small pitiful body, golden curls of hair and the pretty light blue bow with red stripes blew mournfully in the small bursts of wind that blew through the ravaged area.

His Dreams were gone.

His Family was gone

His Future was gone

His Home was gone

Everything...

It was too much, the tears wouldn't stop, the agony in his heart grew and grew and quickly overtook all of his senses, he couldn't move at all. No sound escaped from his mouth as his mind tried it's best to grasp all that happened, his life, his dreams and his pride were all destroyed, all gone. Every single thing and he knew and loved in his life lay at his feet, never to move or smile or be happy again. His sobs intensified as the memories flowed back into his mind, all gone, every single piece of his life lay shattered as though they had meant nothing.

A glint of light caught his eye for some unknown reason, why this one glint, out of the miasma that was his pain and grief would catch his eye astounded him, until he saw what caused the glint. The yellow beetle like drone known as a Grasshopper by the UEAF lay shattered and beaten near what was the burned remains to his childhood tree fort, the Jovian insignia was plain to see in the daylight. "_J...Jovians..._"

A single scream of rage cut through the warm afternoon before all became as quiet as the death that had come to this once peaceful land.

_  
Nergal Heavy Industries  
Executive Boardroom Meeting  
48 Hours after above events_

"Mr. Chairman, please explain to me how you hope to remedy this situation..." A portly japanese man with thick glasses spoke to the young and well taken care of face that appeared on the main screen in the top private boardroom in the Nergal HQ.

"I don't _plan_ anything, thats what you yes-men are for, I just have an...idea that I think should be considered by the board" Nagare Atatsuki looked bored and stifled a yawn, he paid these idiots to come up with ideas, not for him to do all the work. It wasn't as if piloting an Aestivalis was all fun and games, he was good and he knew it but you can never count on skill alone on the battlefield.

"I simply want someone who is more then willing to fight the Jovians, even with all the knowledge that they are simply our more troublesome cousins from the past."

Mr.Juneko simply raised his eyebrows, he was smart enough to know that the young chairman didn't just want some psychopath who might turn on the crew of the Nadesico, nor some foolish young hero who once finding out the truth of the Jovians might join the crew in its grumblings. Mr. Juneko pushed his glasses back onto his nose with one finger as he thought deeply. After a few moments he came to the conclusion that what his president simply wanted was a man who had a deep desire to do harm to the Jovians but not those around him.

Quickly turning to his aide he had a few moments of whispered conversation with her before she quickly rose and sat next to the representative of the American province for Nergal. Once again a whispered conversation and a few nods from the American suit and the aide was once more by Mr.Junekos side. A curt nod and a small smile was all the answer she received before Mr. Juneko stood to address the board and his president.

"Mr.Chairman, I have the solution to the problem you have presented before us, you just simply wish for a pilot who's only goal in life is to do harm to the Jovians without endangering yourself or the Nadesico itself..." With a small gesture to his aide, screens of information and pictures began to pop up within the boardroom and the private quarters of Nagare.

"Are you sure of this information Juneko..and of these photos?" Nagare asked, his mind racing at the prospects this young man presented.

"I'm sure Mr. Chairman...these were taken by a passing Nergal satellite on the day the skirmish took place...it almost escaped my notice if not for...the subject in question.."

A picture of a ragged looking young man, his long brown hair covered in sweat and grime as he toiled to dig the graves of his loved ones, on the very land they once cared for so well and lovingly. More photos shot by of him doing his grisly work, only once did the young man look up into the sky, as if seeking something. The blowups of that photo was all that was needed to convince Nagare that this boy was the right choice to join the Nadesico crew.

The once warm and caring green eyes of Avern Drake held a dangerous glint to them, as though his very soul sought something and was willing to be as ruthless as need be to gain whatever it sought. the look almost gave Nagare chills at the intensity of the look.

"Yes...he'll do just fine...it might take a couple of months but Avern Reese Drake...welcome to the war and to the Nadesico..."

The eyes just stared back...

Cappy: well...if you want to, please Review..i'm not going to beg or nothing but its nice to know what you might think, if there are any errors, either anime or grammar wise that you wanna notify me of or just to tell me what a great job I'm doing...

Well see you next chapter...

Oh yes, for those who liked my other storys...just consider them on hiatus for awhile..maybe I'll get back into those when i get into the swing of things again.

Cappy


End file.
